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Golding’s iconic 1954 novel, now with a new foreword by Lois Lowry, remains one of the greatest books ever written for young adults and an unforgettable classic for readers of any age.

This edition includes a new Suggestions for Further Reading by Jennifer Buehler.

At the dawn of the next world war, a plane crashes on an uncharted island, stranding a group of schoolboys. At first, with no adult supervision, their freedom is something to celebrate. This far from civilization they can do anything they want. Anything. But as order collapses, as strange howls echo in the night, as terror begins its reign, the hope of adventure seems as far removed from reality as the hope of being rescued.

This month's Book With Buzz: "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
From the bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You, a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture - perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives. See more

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

William Golding's classic tale about a group of English schoolboys who are plane-wrecked on a deserted island is just as chilling and relevant today as when it was first published in 1954. At first, the stranded boys cooperate, attempting to gather food, make shelters, and maintain signal fires. Overseeing their efforts are Ralph, "the boy with fair hair," and Piggy, Ralph's chubby, wisdom-dispensing sidekick whose thick spectacles come in handy for lighting fires. Although Ralph tries to impose order and delegate responsibility, there are many in their number who would rather swim, play, or hunt the island's wild pig population. Soon Ralph's rules are being ignored or challenged outright. His fiercest antagonist is Jack, the redheaded leader of the pig hunters, who manages to lure away many of the boys to join his band of painted savages. The situation deteriorates as the trappings of civilization continue to fall away, until Ralph discovers that instead of being hunters, he and Piggy have become the hunted: "He forgot his words, his hunger and thirst, and became fear; hopeless fear on flying feet." Golding's gripping novel explores the boundary between human reason and animal instinct, all on the brutal playing field of adolescent competition. --Jennifer Hubert
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Lord of the Flies is one of my favorite books. I still read it every couple of years." —Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games trilogy

"I finished the last half of Lord of the Flies in a single afternoon, my eyes wide, my heart pounding, not thinking, just inhaling....My rule of thumb as a writer and reader—largely formed by Lord of the Flies—is feel it first, think about it later." —Stephen King

"This brilliant work is a frightening parody on man's return [in a few weeks] to that state of darkness from which it took him thousands of years to emerge. Fully to succeed, a fantasy must approach very close to reality. Lord of the Flies does. It must also be superbly written. It is." —The New York Times Book Review

Top customer reviews

While reading this book, one can't help but try and identify themselves or people they know to the kids in the story. Even though we are so far removed from our primal nature, the characters in the book seem awfully familiar. They can represent different personality types and they rank in group fighting for survival. They can also represent the different kinds of characteristics we all have within is that either help or hinder our experience in life.

At times, I felt the author spent too much time poetically describing the setting. But regardless, it is good writing. It just doesn't flow the way a reader likes. Another interesting aspect of the writing was that the author will interrupt the characters to describe their micro expressions or how others were responding a quote. It was sometimes helpful in observing the stage, but it was also annoying at times.

I wish this book delved deeper into the concept of birthing civility and cooperation. I was almost expecting the lead characters to create a superstition out the "beast" and use fear as a tool to control the other kids. I figured there would have been more commentary on the dark potential of the human soul. But nope, here it is: darkness, sadness and violence. The end.

RIP Piggy..

He was my favorite. Be represented higher intelligence and sensibility.

This is a great, haunting book, well worth anyone's efforts to read. I could barely put it down until I finished it. I would strongly recommend all to read this classic. The ending is worth the read in and of itself.

This novel provides an interesting perspective of the human race and is very insightful. I found some of the scenes difficult to read given their more graphic nature but the theme and content was very interesting. This version provides background information on the author and the context in which this book was written that I think is very helpful to read. As you read through this book, it is clear that the author was very much influenced by the horrors of World War II and the Jewish Holocaust. I can see why Lord of the Flies is on the list of classics.

Lord of the Flies, I think is one of the best books of our century. It demonstrates what can happen to people who are placed in difficult circumstances, like the characters in this book. My year 10 (G1) students love this book. Whilst some of the words in the beginning are difficult, particularly for second language students, its very descriptive. My students vocabulary has grown dramatically along with their analytical and descriptive language. There have been some very big discussions in my classroom.